Why not? He told them to get youth and picks, and they didn't. The teams shouldn't have been dumb and submitted a close to identical package. Call it cockblocking all you want, but it makes sense that the league wouldn't want to absorb those salaries when they are trying to sell the team.
He should never have vetoed the trade in the first place. He was given a chance to save face and instead decided to plunge a dagger into his own heart. Stern made his bed, now let him lie in it.
No it won't. The following events should have shown you that Stern doesn't give a damn what you, I or anyone else thinks: - Sonics to OKC - Suspensions in PHO/SA series - Pacers suspensions Siths don't care.
But do you trust him to get All Star level talent in the draft though? He had that talent but traded it for Battier. As much as Rockets fans hate to admit it Gay at 20ppg @ 46FG% is All Star calibre.
If Carl Landy is in the mix,yes go for it. Chris Paul and Carl Landry for Luis Scola and Kevin Martin.
This same crap happened last year. We were close to getting Chandler then that fell apart and Dallas made a move to scoop him up. Now we were close to getting Gasol and now Dallas scoops up Odom. WTF.
The Rockets already had two all-stars -- two superstars even -- on their team at that time. Adding a wing scorer was not the priority then. This team is different and acquiring a star is the stated objective. If the Rockets have a high lottery pick heading into next year's draft, I'm very confident they'll be able to draft an all-star.
they can shed all they want but Otis is gonna want alot more than bynum or gasol for howard. LA gotta give up more than they have AND take on hedos overpaid contract
How does sheding Odom's salary help them acquire Howard? The Lakers are still over the cap. The only way that they could acquire Howard is via a trade ...no cap space required. They'll get a trade exception comparable to Odom's salary but that's not enough to cover Hedo's salary. I don't know of another contract that size that the Magic would want to dump unless they want Nelson off the books. Simarly, what's Dallas angle here? They let Chandler walk because they wanted cap space next summer. Now they use that money for Odom? That makes no sense unless they have come to the realization that Howard, Williams and Paul will all sign extentions and that none of them will be available next summer. What is the Laker's play for Howard now? Bynum and Gasol plus a trade exception? That would leave the Lakers in a tough spot. Kobe is due to make $27M next season and Howard would start right at $20m. With just under $50m tied up in two guys and not much else on the roster is that more appealing to Howard than NJ?
